Maki Itoh

Maki Itoh (伊藤 麻希, Itō Maki, born July 22, 1995) is a Japanese female professional wrestler, actress, model, and idol (formerly of the group LinQ), who wrestles for Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, where she is a former International Princess Champion. She is currently a member of the idol group Tokiwoikiru (トキヲイキル).

Maki Itoh
Born (1995-07-22) July 22, 1995
Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Musical career
GenresJ-pop
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2012–present
Associated acts
  • LinQ (2012-2017)
  • Tokiwoikiru (2017-present)
Billed height5 ft 3 in (160 cm) [1]
DebutDecember 11, 2016

Idol career

Maki Itoh made her debut in show business as part of the second generation of LinQ members, officially joining the group on February 11, 2012. She was placed in the group's Qty team.

As a LinQ member, her first experience with professional wrestling was in 2013, when she was invited by president Sanshiro Takagi to participate in an "Idol Lumberjack 4 Way Match" at a DDT Pro-Wrestling show in Ryogoku Kokugikan. In the same year, she played a supporting role in the two-part thriller film ADA.

In 2014 she was selected as a finalist in the Kodansha alternative beauty pageant, Miss iD, and although she was not selected for the main prize, she received a special prize given to her personally by television producer Nobuyuki Sakuma. Her participation in Miss iD led to her being featured on the song Heisei Shibou Yuugi by the band Urbangarde. In the same year, she also participated in the 6th anniversary show of Kyushu Pro Wrestling, "Kinniku Yamakasa '14", where she was the official second for Gabaiji-chan.

In 2015, Itoh played a role in the horror film Obakeyashiki Retsuden: Senritsu Meikyuu MAX alongside fellow LinQ members Yusa Sugimoto and Kana Fukuyama. She also played a main role in the short film Inochi no Tokei, written and soundtracked by LinQ member Manami Sakura and featuring a cast made exclusively of the group's members. She appeared on the variety show God Tongue in June, drawing attention from the show's hosts due to the size of her head.

In 2016, Itoh played herself in the film Minna Suitouto (みんな好いとうと), a fictional movie based on LinQ and featuring the group's songs. LinQ were signed to the major label Avex later that year. In August she appeared on Masahiro Nakai's talk show Nakai no Mado, in a special episode featuring "people with unfortunate faces".[2]

In 2017, it was announced that the lineup of LinQ would be rearranged, and that a number of members would leave the group. Those members who were removed from LinQ would be featured in a new group focused on musical theater, but only if LinQ could sell 1,000 tickets to concerts held in Tokyo's Nakano Sun Plaza and the Fukuoka Civic Hall. Itoh personally performed wrestling and music on the streets in order to sell the tickets and promote the group, and they succeeded in meeting the requirements. However, on June 19, 2017, Itoh was removed from the group's lineup along with 6 other members, who were moved into the "entertainment group" Tokiwoikiru. Her response to being dismissed caused "Maki Itoh" to become the #1 Twitter trend in Japan at the time.[3]

After her removal from LinQ, Itoh turned her wrestling tag team with regular partner Mizuki, Itoh Respect Army (伊藤リスペクト軍団, Itō Risupekuto Gundan), into an idol group. The pair released their first CD single, Setsunairo, on January 4, 2018. Upon successfully selling 400 CDs, a music video was produced for the lead track.[4] The group appeared together on internet variety show The Night with host Mari Yaguchi, where they performed Setsunairo and demonstrated wrestling moves live in the studio.[5]

Itoh performed her first show as a solo idol at Tokyo Idol Festival 2018: Other Recommend Live, a battle of the bands-style concert where idols nominated by judges compete for a spot at the prestigious Tokyo Idol Festival main event. Nominated by writer Go Yoshida, Itoh performed Setsunairo twice, along with an impromptu a cappella cover of nerve by BiS. Although she did not make it through as a musical performer, she later appeared as a part of the DDT Street Wrestling show held at the festival.

In 2019, on July 22, Itoh released the digital single Brooklyn The Hole, a solo recording of a song originally performed by Tokiwoikiru, which she currently uses as her wrestling entrance theme.

Professional wrestling career

DDT Pro-Wrestling appearances (2013-2016)

From 2013 to 2016, Itoh made sporadic appearances at DDT Pro-Wrestling shows. On December 15, 2013, at the "World Third Total Hakata" event, she teamed with Danshoku Dino and Makoto Oishi in a two-on-three handicap match, where they defeated Sanshiro Takagi and Toru Owashi.[6]

On December 13, 2015, at "Super Star Lanes 2015", Itoh took part in a battle royal for the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, where she was the first eliminated.[7]

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling (2016-present)

On December 11, 2016, at the DDT Pro-Wrestling event "Road to SUPER SAND-Dramatic Dream Tonkotsu-" in Fukuoka Hakata Star Lane, Itoh made her official DDT debut, where she was defeated by Miyu Yamashita.

On January 4, 2017, Itoh officially joined Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. On March 13, 2017 at At This Time, Get Excited In Nerima! Itoh was defeated by Mil Clown in a three-way match also featuring Maho Kurone.[8]

After her dismissal from the idol group LinQ, Itoh stopped using the group's song Calorie Nante as her entrance theme, instead choosing to perform an on-the-spot a cappella version of the Noriyuki Makihara song Mou Koi Nante Shinai. This continued until the beginning of October 2017, when she began entering to Setsunairo by Tokiwoikiru.

In July, Itoh participated in the "Tokyo Princess Cup" held at Shinjuku Mura Studio. In the first round, she fought against Shoko Nakajima, but was eliminated.[9]

Maki made her US debut at DDT Coming to America where she wrestled Miyu Yamashita. The next day she appeared at Joey Ryan's Penis Party event organized by Joey Ryan where she fought in a multi-man match for the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, but was defeated by the champion Yoshihiko.[10]

In 2019, Itoh's long-standing tag team with her partner Mizuki, Itoh Respect Army, was officially disbanded after a singles match between the two. Itoh later recruited British wrestler Chris Brookes to replace Mizuki, renaming the team to "NEO Itoh Respect Army". After leaving his tour of Japan and returning to the United Kingdom, Brookes continued to represent the NEO Itoh Respect Army by wearing the team's official T-shirt and using Itoh's trademark kokeshi headbutt during shows. Itoh and Brookes had their first match as a tag team on November 3 at DDT's Ultimate Party 2019.[11]

All Elite Wrestling (2021)

On the February 3, 2021 edition of AEW Dynamite, it was announced that Itoh would be participating in the AEW Women's World Title Eliminator tournament, set to begin in February.[12]

Championships and accomplishments

Discography
  • Setsunairo (セツナイロ), released January 4, 2018.
    1. Setsunairo [セツナイロ, credited as Ito Respect Gundan; 伊藤リスペクト軍団]
    2. Muteki no Pathos (Maki Itoh ver.) [無敵のパトス（伊藤麻希ver.）]
    3. Setsunairo (instrumental) [セツナイロ (instrumental)]
  • Brooklyn The Hole, released July 22, 2019.
    • 1. Brooklyn The Hole (Maki Itoh ver.)

Filmography
  • ADA: Senritsu-hen
  • ADA: Zetsubou-hen
  • Obakeyashiki Retsuden: Senritsu Meikyuu MAX
  • Minna Suitouto

References
  1. "Maki Ito". cagematch.net. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  2. "LinQ伊藤麻希 『ナカイの窓』で痛感「中途半端な顔のでかさに腹が立つ」 (2016年8月18日)". エキサイトニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  3. "1位キタ！！！！ 後楽園ホールってのは8月26日に行われる #東京女子プロレス のことかな！伊藤出るから遊びに来てね！". Twitter.
  4. 【MV】セツナイロ / 伊藤リスペクト軍団, retrieved 2019-10-19
  5. "矢口真里の火曜The NIGHT#106〜伊藤リスペクト軍団って何者？？？ | 無料のインターネットテレビは【AbemaTV(アベマTV)】". AbemaTV (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  6. "DDT World Third Total Hakata ~DDT~". cagematch.net.
  7. "DDT Super Star Lanes 2015". cagematch.net.
  8. "TJP At This Time, Get Excited In Nerima!". cagematch.net.
  9. "TJP 4th Tokyo Princess Cup 2nd ROUND!". cagematch.net.
  10. "WrestleCon Joey Ryan's Penis Party". cagematch.net.
  11. "DDT ProWrestling". DDT ProWrestling. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  12. Joshua Gagnon (2021-02-03). "Names Announced For AEW Women's Title Eliminator Tournament". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  13. Michael, Casey (October 19, 2019). "Maki Itoh Wins TJPW International Princess Championship". Squared Circle Sirens.
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